1. The Field of the Invention
This present invention relates to systems and apparatus for draining bodily fluid from a patient.
2. Background and Relevant Art
Drainage catheters are used in a variety of medical settings for draining fluids from a patient's body. For example, a patient may suffer an injury, or have a medical problem where a bodily tissue stores an excess amounts of fluid, such as blood, or other bodily serum. If the fluid is not removed further complications in the patient can occur such as rupturing or infection of the tissue. Accordingly, drainage catheters have been developed to remove these fluids from the patient, to either relieve pressure, or to otherwise ensure the fluid build up does not result in tissue injury.
Conventional drainage catheters typically comprise a handle, an elongate catheter tube communicatively connected to the handle, and a flexible tip that includes a plurality of drainage bores. The drainage bores of the flexible tip allow communication of fluid through the elongate catheter tube. The practitioner inserts the tip and catheter tube into the patient's body, such that the tip enters the tissue or area of fluid build up. The user then pulls a suture, which extends from the handle, passes along the length of the catheter tube, and is secured to the tip. When the practitioner pulls or retracts the suture, the tip flexes inward toward the catheter tube, thereby forming a curved loop having drainage bores within the fluid build up area.
To hold the suture in place in order to maintain the curved configuration of the catheter tube, the practitioner either must hold the suture and catheter with two hands, or secure the suture to the catheter handle by wrapping the suture around the handle. Unfortunately, securing the catheter handle in this manner can be somewhat insecure and inconvenient, especially if the catheter is to remain in place for an extended period of time. In the event that additional manipulation or repositioning of the catheter tube must be utilized, it can be difficult to unwrap the suture from the handle for proper manipulation of the length of catheter.
Once the tip of the catheter tube is appropriately positioned, the excess fluid then flows into the individual drainage bores of the tip, flows along the length of the catheter tube, and is drained from the catheter hub. Thereafter, the practitioner will remove the catheter from the localized area. Unfortunately, the curved conformation of the tip relative to the catheter tube makes it difficult to remove the drainage catheter from its drainage position. In particular, removing the drainage catheter while the tip is still in an inwardly flexed position can cause the drainage catheter to tear or otherwise damage bodily tissue. Accordingly, the practitioner typically attempts to straighten the tip before removing the catheter. Generally, this requires at a minimum releasing the suture that caused the tip to flex in the first instance. Where the suture has been wrapped to maintain the curved configuration of the tip of the drainage catheter, unwrapping of the suture can be difficult and time consuming.
Furthermore, when the practitioner releases the suture, the flexible tip on the conventional catheter will not fully release in a manner that allows manipulation of the catheter tip into a substantially straight position. This can be due to a variety of factors. For example, if the drainage catheter is in the patient's body for an extended period of time, the bodily fluids or articles and materials associated with the bodily fluids may encrust the suture thread preventing release of the curved configuration of the tip of the drainage catheter. This can cause the suture to remain in a tensile configuration even after the practitioner has, for example, unwrapped the suture about the handle. Thus, a practitioner may need to perform additional procedures, such as invasive surgery, to remove the catheter.
Accordingly, an advantage in the art can be realized with systems and apparatus that conveniently provide fluid drainage within a patient's body, and that can be removed with minimal complication.